The total users metric in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Universal Analytics (UA) are calculated in different ways. The number of unique users who have interacted with your website or app during a specific time period is used to calculate the total users metric in GA4. The number of unique users who have visited your website or app over the course of a specified time period is counted in UA to determine the total number of users.

Different total user counts in GA4 and UA may result from this difference in calculation. In general, there are fewer users overall in GA4 than there are in UA. This is because UA counts users who have visited your website or app even if they did not interact with it, whereas GA4 only counts users who have interacted with your website or app.

It is crucial to be aware of this variation in the total user calculation if you are making the transition from UA to GA4. Your reporting and analysis might need to change as a result.

Here are some more specifics on how GA4 and UA calculate total users:

Google Analytics 4

The number of unique users who have interacted with your website or app during a specific time period is used to calculate the total users metric in GA4. Any event that GA4 tracks is referred to as an interaction, including pageviews, sessions, and events.

Universal Analytics

The number of unique users who have visited your website or app over the course of a specified time period is counted in UA to determine the total number of users. A visit is a collection of pageviews that take place over the course of a 30-minute period.

Here are some instances where the total users metric in GA4 and UA can vary:

• If a user accesses your website and then leaves without taking any action, they will be included in the user count in UA but not in the user count in GA4.
• A user will be included in both GA4 and UA if they visit your website, interact with it, and then leave.
• A user will only be counted as one user in GA4 but multiple users in UA if they visit your website more than once in a 30-minute period.
• When switching from UA to GA4, it’s critical to be aware of these variations in how the total number of users is calculated. Your reporting and analysis might need to change as a result.